Diabetes & Blood Sugar Levels .......

[yelenots]

My elderley mother is in hospital after having an acute stroke. She is diabetic and is only eating and drinking minimal amounts. There is a chart at the bottom of her monitoring her blood sugar levels each morning and for the past 10 days it has been around 7-9 but the last few days it has been 2 or 3 but today it was '0' - surely this is very dangerous?
Thanks

[Buenchico]

Hypoglycaemia (to the point where blood sugar wasn't even registering) would indeed be dangerous if it wasn't treated promptly. (My blood sugar level frequently drops to well below 3, which technically means that I'm hypoglycaemic, but simply eating something soon pushes it up again).

I would assume that a low (or zero) level was recorded in response to excessive insulin, which would be quickly remedied by increasing your mother's blood sugar levels (either orally or, more likely, intravenously). Only a SUSTAINED very low blood sugar level would actually lead to medical harm.

Chris

[yelenots]

thanks - forgot to mention that she doesn't have insulin it is diet controlled - this obviously makes a differene.?

[douglas9401]

I don't know the answer to your question yelenots but good wishes to you and your mother.

[Sqad]

Don't worry....the medical staff are not idiots.......if she was hypoglycaemic, the symptoms would be obvious to all concerned. I cannot explain why they registered "0" unless it meant.."not taken"


This is no big deal and will be dealt with accordingly.

[evil__sheep]

i also thought that 0 could mean not taken (although admit it is confusing) it would be more usual to put a dash for not taken